Seattle Machinists Give Boeing New Proposal for 777X

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SEATTLE (KMOX) - The Boeing Machinist Union in Seattle, Washington went back to the bargaining table this week. On the second day of talks between Boeing officials, union leaders said they presented a preliminary proposal to the company Wednesday for the manufacturing of Boeing’s new 777X aircraft.

The proposal would secure wing fabrication and final assembly work for Machinists in Washington state, the union said in a statement.

Seattle Machinist President Tom Wroblewski would not disclose any other details of its offer.

“We tried to craft a proposal that would meet the needs of our members, while also ensuring the long-term success of the Boeing Co. in Washington state,” said Wroblewski.

He added that he expects Boeing will respond to the offer Thursday.

The two sides first renewed talks Tuesday, which was Boeing’s deadline for other states to submit proposals for work on the new jet.

Boeing spokesman Doug Alder decline to provide details on the negotiations with the Seattle Times.

“As we’ve said from the beginning of the 777X site selection process, we continue to look at all of our options,” Alder told the newspaper. “As we start evaluating the proposals, we’ll engage with all interested parties.”

On Nov. 13, the Machinists union rejected a proposed eight-year contract for the 777X work, in part because it would have replaced workers’ traditional defined-benefit pension with a defined-contribution savings plan.

“It’s certainly good news that the two sides are talking directly,” David Postman, a spokesman for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, said Wednesday. “Since November, the governor has been talking to each of them individually and asking them to get back to the table.”

“Our members want Boeing to be successful, and Boeing’s best chance of success for the 777X is to build it here,” Wroblewski said in his statement. “A business analyst might call our Machinists the high-skill, low-risk solution to Boeing’s manufacturing needs. I’d just call us the best aerospace workers in the world.”